An automated barcode tracking system for behavioural studies in birds
An automated barcode tracking system for behavioural studies in birds
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DOI：
10.1111/2041-210x.13005
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发表时间：
2018-06-01
影响因子：
6.6
通讯作者：
Farine, Damien R.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Alarcon-Nieto, Gustavo;Graving, Jacob M.;Farine, Damien R.
1.最近的技术进步使研究人员能够自动测量动物行为。与直接观察和手动数据输入相比，这些方法具有多种优势，因为它们减少了与人类感知和疲劳相关的偏差，并提供了更广泛和完整的数据集，从而增强了统计能力。自动化可以克服的一个主要挑战是同时观察许多个体，从而实现整个群体或整个人群的跟踪。我们提供了一个用于跟踪鸟类的自动化系统的详细描述。我们的系统使用打印的，机器可读的代码安装在背包上。这种简单而强大的标记系统可以同时用于多个个体，以提供有关鸟类身份，位置和方向的数据。此外，由于背包是印在纸上的，它们非常轻便。我们表明，我们的方法是可靠的，相对容易实施和监测，并与适当的处理，已被证明是安全的鸟类在很长一段时间。3.我们描述了这个系统的部署程序的一个圈养人口的鸣禽。我们测试不同的相机选项，并讨论其优点和缺点。特别是，我们强调如何使用单板计算机来控制图像捕获的频率和持续时间，使该系统负担得起，并适应于一系列的研究系统和研究问题。自动测量各个位置的能力有可能显着增加观察和实验研究的力量。该系统可以捕获详细的互动（使用视频记录）和重复的观察（例如，一整天每秒一次）的个人在长时间尺度（几个月或可能几年）。这种方法为追踪个体之间的终身关系打开了大门，同时也捕捉了行为的细微差异。
1. Recent advances in technology allow researchers to automate the measurement of animal behaviour. These methods have multiple advantages over direct observations and manual data input as they reduce bias related to human perception and fatigue, and deliver more extensive and complete datasets that enhance statistical power. One major challenge that automation can overcome is the observation of many individuals at once, enabling whole-group or whole-population tracking.2. We provide a detailed description of an automated system for tracking birds. Our system uses printed, machine-readable codes mounted on backpacks. This simple, yet robust, tagging system can be used simultaneously on multiple individuals to provide data on bird identity, position and directionality. Furthermore, because the backpacks are printed on paper, they are very lightweight. We show that our method is reliable, relatively easy to implement and monitor, and with proper handling, has proved to be safe for the birds over long periods of time.3. We describe the deployment procedure of this system for a captive population of songbirds. We test different camera options, and discuss their advantages and disadvantages. In particular, we highlight how using single-board computers to control the frequency and duration of image capture makes this system affordable and adaptable to a range of study systems and research questions.4. The ability to automate the measurement of individual positions has the potential to significantly increase the power of both observational and experimental studies. The system can capture both detailed interactions (using video recordings) and repeated observations (e.g. once per second for the entire day) of individuals over long timescales (months or potentially years). This approach opens the door to tracking life-long relationships among individuals, while also capturing fine-scale differences in behaviour.